Participation soars at 3rd vocational skills contest in Henan

The Third Vocational Skills Competition of the People's Republic of China opened on Friday evening in Zhengzhou, Henan province, featuring 3,420 competitors from 35 delegations competing in 106 events.

As China's highest-level, largest, and most influential comprehensive national vocational skills event, the competition includes 66 events serving as selection trials for the WorldSkills Competition, along with 40 nationally selected events.

Twenty-five provincial-level delegations are participating in over 90 percent of the events, with 21 delegations joining all events — nearly double the number from the previous competition.

For the first time, a special category for rural revitalization has been introduced. Over 50 percent of the events focus on smart manufacturing, industrial internet, and artificial intelligence, while 17 new professional categories highlight the latest trends in technological and skills development.

Competitors, aged 16 to 57, include young vocational students and experienced frontline technicians.

Among them, 58 percent are technical school students, and 21 percent are enterprise employees. Participants with doctoral, master's, or bachelor's degrees make up 33 percent, with a concentration in advanced technical fields like smart manufacturing and high-end equipment.

The five-day event will conclude on Tuesday with a closing ceremony, where winners will be awarded and the competition flag will be handed over to Zhejiang province, the host for the next edition.